Australian Army Museum of Western Australia > Records

Post 1945, Western Australia, Carnarvon, 7 Field Battery, 1989

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Overview

Digital copy of photograph showing 7 Field Battery convoy rest stop at Carnarvon, enroute to FX 89 at Exmouth, 1989.

The M2A2 105 millimetre howitzer is a general purpose, towed, light field artillery weapon which consists of a barrel, recoil mechanism and carriage. The barrel consists of a tube assembly, breech ring, and locking ring. The barrel is mounted on a recoil sleigh assembly. The firing mechanism is a continuous pull (self cocking) type activated by pulling a lanyard. The cannon barrel is single-loaded, air-cooled and uses semi-fixed ammunition. The carriage is of the single axle and split trail type. The trails are divided during emplacement and are drawn together and locked during travel. A drawbar is provided for attachment to a prime mover. The carriage consists of an equilibrator, shield, elevating mechanism, cradle, gear, elevating arcs, traversing mechanism, top carriage, wheels, and trails. The recoil mechanism is a constant hydropneumatic type shock absorber system which is installed in the cradle of the carriage.

Historical information

The 7th Field Battery, Royal Australian Artillery was a Reserve artillery unit of the Australian Army. Based at Hobbs Artillery Park, Irwin Barracks, Perth it provided the artillery component of the 13th Brigade. The 7th Field Battery has its origins in the Union Troop of Western Australian Mounted Volunteers which was formed on 19 July 1870. The unit subsequently acquired two 12 pounder field artillery pieces and on 1 July 1872 became the W.A. Troop of Volunteer Horse Artillery. In the subsequent 75 years Artillery units in Western Australia underwent numerous name and equipment changes and provided volunteers for Australian Imperial Force units in both World Wars.
The contemporary history of 7 Field Battery begins in 1948 when P and Q Batteries of the 3rd Field Regiment were raised. In 1965, the two were renamed the 7th and 8th Batteries. In 1975 the unit was reduced to a single field battery as the 7th Field Battery, 3rd Regiment. In 2003, the Battery consisted of a headquarters element, a command post, four 105 mm M2A2 Howitzer detachments and was part of the 13th Brigade.
Following the reorganisation of the Australian Army Reserve's artillery units as part of Plan Beersheba, the battery was armed with the F2 81mm mortar as its primary weapon platform. It retained a number of M2A2s for ceremonial duties firing blank cartridges.
On 15 January 2018, to provide a regimental headquarters for all Australian Army Reserve mortar-equipped light batteries assigned to the 2nd Division, the 9th Regiment RAA was re-raised and all Army Reserve Artillery units were transferred to it. Currently the unit is equipped and configured as a Target Acquisition and Surveillance Battery.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-32-57-429

Geotag

-24.862857123074, 113.70314243971

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